Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd Raises Stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 5.9% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 122,894 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,860 shares during the quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $24,767,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the second quarter valued at about $29,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the third quarter worth about $30,000. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, TruNorth Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 0.1%

NYSE:MRSH opened at $171.13 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $178.38. The stock has a market cap of $82.85 billion, a PE ratio of 20.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.10. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $164.89 and a 12 month high of $248.00.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.97 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $6.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.52 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 15.42% and a return on equity of 31.60%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s revenue was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.87 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 9th will be paid a $0.90 dividend. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 9th. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 42.70%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on MRSH shares. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $201.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Raymond James Financial raised shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $225.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $199.00 to $203.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $200.00 price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $208.00 to $212.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $216.12.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.30, for a total value of $3,052,861.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 116,811 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,411,456.30. This represents a 12.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company Profile

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE: MMC) is a global professional services firm headquartered in New York City that provides advice and solutions in the areas of risk, strategy and people. Founded in 1905, the company has grown into a diversified group of businesses focused on insurance brokerage and risk management, reinsurance, human capital and investment consulting, and management consulting. Its long history and scale position it as a prominent adviser to corporations, governments and other institutions seeking to manage risk and optimize human and financial capital.

The firm operates through several well-known subsidiaries and business units that specialize in distinct services.